Farm Credit of the Virginias Returns $31 Million in Cash Dividends to Customers
Farm Credit of the Virginias (FCV), a cooperative lending institution serving Virginia, West Virginia and western Maryland, will return $31 million this month to its members through their annual patronage program.*
FCV’s cooperative framework allows the Association to return a portion of its profits back to members on an annual basis. During 2025, agricultural producers and rural homeowners faced economic uncertainty, market volatility, as well as high interest rates and input costs. Fortunately, FCV maintained a strong financial position, so their board of directors elected to return 78% of net profits to their customer base through the patronage refund program. The Association hopes that this refund will strengthen cooperative members’ financial position and empower them to feel more equipped to navigate ongoing challenges affecting the agricultural industry and our rural communities.
The patronage program effectively lowers the cost of borrowing from FCV. This year’s $31 million distribution equates to having an interest-free loan for approximately three months and represents approximately 21% of the net interest accrued on loans. In total, the Association has returned more than $529 million to its members since 2001.
“The Association’s strong financial position and credit quality are what enable us to return important dollars to our members in the form of patronage dividends,” shared FCV’s CEO, Pete Cypret. He continued, “We are proud to carry out our cooperative mission by reinvesting money in agriculture and our rural communities through our patronage program. We will continue serving as a trusted and judicious financial partner to our members for many years to come.”
About Farm Credit of the Virginias
Farm Credit of the Virginias provides over $2.5 billion dollars in financing to more than 12,500 farmers, agribusinesses and rural homeowners throughout Virginia, West Virginia and western Maryland. Farm Credit is a cooperative capitalized largely through investments made by farmers, ranchers and the rural homeowners and businesses that borrow from them. In fact, as part of a nationwide network they are the largest single provider of agricultural credit in the United States and have been for over 100 years. Farm Credit helps maintain and improve the quality of life in rural America and on the farm through its constant commitment to competitive lending, expert financial services and for facilitating and sharing knowledge and resources through the Farm Credit Knowledge Center. For more information, visit www.FarmCreditofVirginias.com.
*Not all FCV loan products are eligible for patronage.